BEDFORD (CBS) – One of the area’s marquee military installations is dealing with a stunning blow.

Deep budget cuts at the Electronics Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford could mean hundreds of lost jobs.

James Cunningham, of the Armed Forces Communications Association, once helped run that center, and now lobbies on behalf of some of its contractors.

“It’s quite a blow. Some of them are going to lose probably over 50% of their business,” said Cunningham.

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Cunningham says the Pentagon’s decision to move command of the center’s work to an Air Force base in Ohio leaves a cloud over the future of Hanscom’s crown jewel.

“The mission and the workload will stay here, lots of overhead and lots of management layers are going to be removed,” said Cunningham. “But, what does that do for the future? It’s unknown at this point.”

For Maureen Rogers of the Hanscom-Area Chamber of Commerce, that uncertainty, at a time when more major defense spending cuts seem certain, is terrifying.

“It could be as much of a $5 billion economic impact to our area, and a loss of potentially 16,000 jobs,” said Rogers.

In a statement to WBZ-TV, Sen. John Kerry said he’s pushing back against cuts at Hanscom, saying, “We have a good story to tell and we’re going to tell it.”

Meanwhile, a base spokesman said a round of cuts will begin in April with a loss of up to 160 contractor employees the first year. That’s on top of 373 civilian jobs that have recently been eliminated.

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Jon Keller is WBZ-TV News' Political Analyst, and his "Keller At Large" reports on a wide range of topics are regularly featured during WBZ-TV News at 6PM and 11PM. Keller also broadcasts morning dri...

Oh please As I said if brown were a dem he would have been accused of playing politics when he voted for payroll extension across the aisle. You guys need a new song. The one you are singing is getting old.

I think Obama planned the lack of snow this winter too because he knew the ski areas would suffer.

Unemployment numbers are comprised of those that are in the job market for the past 30 days. It does not include those that have not been in the job market in the last 30 days: people who have given up looking; those that have gone off unemployment because it has run out. One solution to unemployment is High Speed Universities check it out

kevinjacoby – Thanks to Obama while on unemployment you can take college classes and still collect UI. My son in law did this when he was laid off three years ago. He’ll receive is degree from Framingham State this spring. He competed four years in three.

If the early margin of 3% holds is it really a “win” for Romney? Its his “home” state, or one out of the 3 or 4, its delegates are allocated by congressional district so he could end up with fewer delgegates than Santorum.
Getting only 39% in NH, another “home” state and neighboring MA, Maybe 41% in Michigan, another “home” state, seems those that know him best just won’t get Romney over that 50% mark or even much over 40%